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The administration of outgoing US President Donald Trump wants to close the two remaining US consulates in Russia. As confirmed by the US State Department to the AFP news agency, the US representation in Vladivostok will be closed and the consulate in Yekaterinburg will cease to function for the time being. After that, the embassy in Moscow would be the last US diplomatic mission in Russia.
According to the ministry, the decision to close the consulates was made after consultations with the US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan. It was about “ensuring the safe operation of the US diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.
The US television station CNN had previously reported that the move was a reaction to the personnel limit that Russia had imposed on the United States in 2017. Due to this upper limit, there had been a “deadlock” for the United States in requesting diplomatic visas.
Ten diplomats from the affected consulates will now be transferred to the embassy in Moscow, as confirmed by the US State Department. 33 Russian employees lose their jobs.
Increased tensions between countries
It was unclear if the closures will take place before future US President Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20. Biden is currently preparing to take office amid increased tensions between Russia and the United States.
In March 2018, Moscow ordered the closure of the US consulate in St. Petersburg following a dispute over the poison attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal. Washington, for its part, does not want to take action against Russian representations in the United States.
Meanwhile, a large-scale cyberattack against US government agencies is causing new problems between Washington and Moscow. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Russia was “pretty sure” behind the attack. Trump opposed Pompeo on Saturday and defended Russia. Russia itself denies any involvement in the attacks.
